Dunstable woman found guilty of fraud for making false council tax benefit claim
Thursday, 28 January 2021
Susan Cashman was sentenced to a fine of £568, ordered to pay a contribution towards costs of £1,146.87 and a victim surcharge of £57, at a total cost to her of £1,771.87.
Cashman, 57, of Winfield Street, Dunstable claimed she was unemployed in July 2016. When we investigated this, we found that she had failed to notify us when she found work after two months and continued to claim a discount to which she was not entitled, for over three years.
She was sentenced at Luton Magistrates' Court on 27 January 2021.
Cashman fraudulently claimed a £3,049.56 reduction in her Council Tax bill between 2016 and 2020. She wouldn't have received this, if she'd made us aware of her employment.
In addition to the fine, she is required to repay the money she falsely claimed.
Our Executive Member for Corporate Resources, Councillor David Shelvey, said:
People like this, who try to fraudulently abuse the system for their own financial gain are putting their own greed ahead of the needs of vulnerable people. Cases like this show that we can catch these fraudsters and we will pursue them.